The golf course at St Sofia Golf Club and Spa opens this weekend, April 9 and 10, coinciding with a major landmark in sports broadcasting in Bulgaria - bTV showing the US Masters.
On April 8, the course at St Sofia will be open to all golfers to play, and for some final rounds of practice before the tournament the following day. Sunday's tournament will be played over one round, in Stableford format.
The weekend event is part of the unfolding narrative of the rising popularity of golf in Bulgaria.
Interviewed by The Sofia Echo, St Sofia director of golf Neil Turley spoke with enthusiasm of how the game is attracting players, and detailed some aspects of St Sofia's future.
Players in Bulgaria range widely in age and level of skill.
"We have about 25 confirmed members and are currently expecting to get about 100 members, maybe more.
"The players are a mixture of expatriates and Bulgarians, and of course, while everybody is enthusiastic about the game, most of the business people are aware that elsewhere in Europe and in the US, a lot of business gets done while going round the golf course."
Bulgaria is on a steep learning curve.
Turley, a 34-year-old British PGA golf professional who has been in the country for six months, relates that when the course was being developed, people saw the green expanse and assumed it was a park, arriving to take strolls.
"We didn't rudely chase them away, instead we politely explained to them what the course, and golf, are all about - and where they shouldn't walk."
For the record, because everyone would need to know this, "fore" in Bulgarian is "fore" - as it is in virtually every language in every country where golf is played.
Much more has, and is being done, to develop the game in Bulgaria. St Sofia, and the Bulgarian Golf Association office, have available copies of a book in Bulgarian of the rules of golf. A member of the National Sports Academy has compiled a dictionary in Bulgarian of golf terms, which was handed out at last year's inaugural Bulgarian Amateur Open.
Turley said that it is an advantage when a learner golfer has some experience in some other sport, because it means that a player has some background in developing hand-eye-ball co-ordination.
To help things along, St Sofia's Golf Academy, which will open in the next few weeks, will have computerised training equipment, which uses video and computer technology to help players improve their game, by comparing their progress over time, but also by comparing their performances to those of the greats. Observing the technique of the masters, especially when the equipment can show a player of about the same height as the learner, makes a major difference, Turley said.
Apart from the course, designed by well-known PGA golf pro Alan Egford of the UK, St Sofia is also bringing in all the paraphernalia associated with golf, from clubs to clothing and other equipment. This will be on sale at the club's own pro shop, as well as other outlets.
With the course being close to Sofia, Turley said, people are being encouraged to become members in the knowledge that they could break away to the course at some point to get in a few rounds. "You could play nine holes, six holes, and then go the clubhouse and have a drink. Only tournaments need be 19 holes."
Bulgaria's golf season, in Turley's estimate, is about from late March/early April to October/November, with the possibility of a longer season depending on the weather.
"In the UK, courses have temporary tees and temporary greens during the colder weather, and we could create that here."
Turley, whose career in golf dates back to 1986, and who qualified as a Class A PGA member in 1992 and has a long pedigree as a competitor, is thoroughly enjoying the challenge of developing the game in Bulgaria.
That those involved with St Sofia have been keen to put the club on a highly professional level, with it being the first PGA recognised golf course in Bulgaria and with the club being a member of the European Golf Association, is highly encouraging, Turley said.
"I'm enjoying my involvement very much," said Turley, one of three PGA professionals at the club. "One would not get an opportunity like this in the UK or in Europe, to be involved in developing something in this way."